Before having children, my definition of a great restaurant was one with quality food, an extensive wine list and preferably water views.

Now with a preschooler and toddler in tow, I judge an eating establishment on the availability of high-chairs, a kids menu selection and a change table in the bathroom. Hell, if they throw in crayons and some colouring-in pages, I’ll give the place a five mummy hat ranking before I’ve even tasted their chicken parmigiana.

Depressing, I know. But does it have to be that way? Can fine dining and chidren mix, or should it be a case of never the two shall meet?

Never the twain shall meet

That’s what one Kidspot reader is wondering after she and her husband were asked to take their baby daughter outside three-hatted Sydney restaurant Sepia this week due to complaints from other diners about the noise the seven-month-old was making.

“Without wanting to make a fuss hubby took her outside while I sat by myself and finished off my meal,” Sandy Chan wrote on Kidspot’s Facebook page.

“As I sat there feeling sorry for myself I started to think ‘how dare they’. We pay good money for our food and we can’t enjoy it as a family.”

Ms Chan is adamant her daughter was not screaming or crying, but only babbling to herself while she played with a toy. The couple said while the food was excellent, they were disappointed about what happened and it had ruined their anniversary dinner.

However Sepia owner Vicki Wild remembers the Wednesday night incident very differently. She described the noise being made by Ms Chan’s daughter as “very loud crying” and said diners at eight other tables had complained about it.

“One couple was even considering finishing their meal at the bar to get away from the noise,” Ms Wild said.

“We welcome children at the restaurant and nine times out of ten they are well behaved and there is no problem at all. But when we have complaints from several other diners then we have a responsibility to step in and say something.

“People say to me ‘We have paid good money for babysitters to get away from that noise for the night, and now we have to put up with it here’.”

Two sides to the story

As with most things, there are two sides to the story. Eating out with children is no different.

But the reaction of fellow diners to Ms Chan’s daughter does not surprise me. I mean what parent hasn’t felt the glare from other patrons when their child has gotten a little out of control while dining out, even at so called family-friendly restaurants?

In fact, a survey I carried out for The Daily Telegraph a few years ago revealed 25 percent of people believed children should be banned from eating out. The survey, which was completed by 700 people, found that figure sky-rocketed to 70 percent when only the responses of non-parents were taken into account.

So where does that leave parents who want to enjoy the odd meal at a fancy restaurant with their children? Should they hand over their hard earned money and hope that the kids will stay quiet long enough for them to make it to the third course? Or is it best to keep our little ones away from public places at meal time until they are old enough to drive themselves home when they are asked to leave?